The present invention relates to wire weaving tools and methods and, more particularly, to a wire weaving tool and technique for holding a multiplicity of wire pieces securely in place during a wire weaving operation.
The art of wire weaving and wire forming has generally utilized hand techniques for fabricating flat pads and padding for chair seat frames, fabric-like materials for beadwork, and twisted wire in the fabrication of decorative jewelry and toys. Depending upon the value of the components (e.g., beads, precious gems) used in the manufacture of the article, of course, the finished product may have substantial value.
Some of the more common techniques for using wire as a decorative article material are illustrated in United States Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 751,518 was issued to J. H. Killion on Feb. 9, 1904 for STOCK FOR FRAMING OR OTHER PURPOSES. U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,769 was issued to M. Godefroy on Jul. 1, 1924 for FABRICATED BEADWORK. U.S. Pat. No. 1,771,278 was issued to A. Weiner on Jul. 22, 1930 for ORNAMENTING DEVICE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. U.S. Pat. No. 3,526,103 was issued to J. G. Lieber on Sep. 1, 1970 for WIRE AND BEAD JEWELRY CONSTRUCTION. U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,268 was issued to Kathy Klaus on May 12, 1992 for BEADS AND WIRE FRAME TOY.
Wire weaving and wire forming are generally arts that do not rely upon any special tooling or unusual techniques for fabricating articles. Rather, the wire weaving and forming arts have generally relied upon the imagination of creative artists to fashion their creations using ordinary tools and utensils.
Egg ornaments and toys have always fascinated the public, dating back at least to the famous Fabrege eggs that were created for the Romanoffs. Eggs are one of the most perfect shapes and have a pleasing aura. Unfortunately, however, creating hollow eggs from wire is not a trivial process. An unusual toy creation in the form of an egg, fashioned from interleaved and intertwined helix shells, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,959, issued to Fleischer on Sep. 2, 1980, entitled TOY EGG.
The present invention meets a desire to create eggs that are fabricated by the weaving of a multiplicity of wires. In order to accomplish the weaving of wires that form the eggs of this invention, it is necessary to hold the many wires in place during the weaving process. Since ordinary looms and pegboards cannot be used to weave the egg shape, it was necessary to generate a new weaving tool and technique to create the egg.
The current invention comprises a new wire weaving technique and tool. The tool comprises a spindle or mandrel-type device, having a substantially circular head portion disposed on a distal end of an elongated shaft forming a handle portion. The head contains a plurality of substantially equally spaced holes. Each of the holes in the head receives an individual wire that is respectively threaded through the head portion and then bent inwardly toward the handle.
Owing to the unwieldy nature of many wires dangling from the head, it is necessary to affix the wires to the handle. Several bands wrap about the wires and affix them to the shaft. Simple rubber bands can be used for this purpose. The wires are prevented from shifting or working loose with respect to their position about the head since they take a sharp bend toward the handle after passing through the holes in the head portion. The firmly held wires can then be weaved easily in decorative articles, such as eggs.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a wire weaving tool and technique for fabricating decorative and useful wire-woven articles. The tool consists of a mandrel having a substantially circular head portion disposed on a distal end of an elongated shaft. The head contains a plurality of substantially equally spaced holes. Each of the holes in the head receives an individual wire that is respectively threaded through the head and then bent inwardly toward the shaft. Owing to the unwieldy nature of many wires dangling from the head, the wires are affixed to the shaft by several bands that wrap about the wires. Simple rubber bands can be used for this purpose. The wires are prevented from shifting or working loose with respect to their position about the head, due to a sharp bend of wires toward the shaft after passing through the holes. The firmly held wires can then be weaved easily in decorative articles of any regular or irregular substantially hollow shape, preferably an egg. The shape can have a flat bottom surface allowing the object to stand on its own accord.
Once the weave is substantially established, a shaping block can be placed on top of the tool to complete the weaving of the article. The shaping block is used as a guide to direct the weaver to form the wire into the desired decorative article.
The wire-woven article can also act as a method of dissipating energy and dampening vibration for diverse equipment. By using the woven wire to dissipate energy, each wire acts independently from every other. The total number of wires multiplies the individual action of each wire such that the total forces that can be dissipated are much greater than that of other methods. Additionally, the hollow design of the inventive wire-woven article enables it to be lighter in weight than other devices currently in use. The shape of the inventive article is maintained while dissipating energy and dampening vibration.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved wire weaving tool and method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wire weaving tool that can hold in place a multiplicity of wires as they are formed into a decorative article.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a woven wire article that can be used to dissipate energy and dampen vibration.